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Modding Nokia Cameraphone To Be Mouse

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the one-less-thing-in-my-backpack dept.

ozg333 writes "This guy had the very clever idea of modding a Nokia mobile phone to work as a mouse by using the built in camera. It uses the phone's built-in Bluetooth to link to the PC, so cool! There is also a video of it in action. I can't wait to get one of these, it would mean one less device to carry when I'm travelling."

32 of 89 comments (clear)

  1. Mouse to Cameraphone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Next is a Wireless Mouse to Cameraphone

    1. Re:Mouse to Cameraphone by JelloCube27 · · Score: 2, Informative

      I believe that came first.

  2. Nice way to kill your battery ... by tomhudson · · Score: 4, Funny

    "It uses the phone's built-in Bluetooth to link to the PC, so cool!"

    First time I've seen "dumb" spelled "c-o-o-l".

    1. Re:Nice way to kill your battery ... by WilliamSChips · · Score: 2, Funny

      You obviosly haven't seen what people say about MySpace...

      --
      Please, for the good of Humanity, vote Obama.
    2. Re:Nice way to kill your battery ... by Total_Wimp · · Score: 2, Funny

      First time I've seen "dumb" spelled "c-o-o-l".

      Dude! this _is_ cool. I have a tendency to put my phone on the desk right near my mouse. I can't tell you the number of times I've reached over for the mouse without really looking and grabbed the phone by mistake.

      Other features:

      -No extra mouse when you travel - saves weight
      -No extra dongle for your wireless mouse (assuming you have laptop with built-in bluetooth)
      -You can take a call and at the same time rub your head against the wall to use the mouse. I'm currently unaware of any mouse that has this as a feature.
      -No extra batteries or charger for your seperate mouse.
      -People will talk about your mouse on slashdot (no one has so much as mentioned my "Target" brand mouse yet)
      -People will gawk at you in the board room.

      Now my biggest problem is that I don't have a Nokia!

    3. Re:Nice way to kill your battery ... by ppc_digger · · Score: 2, Funny

      >People will gawk at you in the board room.

      That's a bug, not a feature.

      --
      Of all major operating systems, UNIX is the only one originally meant for gaming.
    4. Re:Nice way to kill your battery ... by Gli7ch · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Other "features"
      - Look freaking stupid, pretty much all the time.
      - Wasting the battery of an important piece of communications equipment that most people require for normal daily routine.
      - Cramps and sore fingers from holding tiny phone between thumb and forfinger (look at tfa)
      - Annoying static every time you get a phonecall or a sms.
      - People talking about your mouse on slashdot,

      It's a fun premise, but the only real reason someone would do it was "because they can". In reality, it'd be much easier just to use a normal mouse, or even *gasp* the touchpad.

    5. Re:Nice way to kill your battery ... by sr3d · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It's NOT about the BATTERY! It's about the clever idea. Yeah, people didn't make the first computer while they were afraid of wasting bulbs. I was amazed by this guy's work. It's creative engineering. I would personally challenge anyone here to do something like this and get on SlashDot. It's weird that people just like "this is normal, shouldn't be on slashdot" Well, that person shoudln't comment either because his/ her idea is not worth enough to get on /. The idea of the camera phone + mouse is something new and *c*o*o*l* (notice the spelling) that phonemakers should include in their phones. I don't use my phone to take photos because the quality sucks. But I'll be using the phone on the road as my mouse because It would bean any mouspad major @ss and one less thing to carry. How about a retractable USB cable to connect to the computer instead of bluetooth? That will help the battery if you are concerned. And how many geeks will seriously have a legitimate reason to invest in a new and "high-res" phone. How much money that would bring in for phonemakers? So, in the end, if you don't see the idea is brilliant, that's okay. But to me, it's pretty amazing. People are generally missing the point of things like the post about Dvorak. Dvorak is right on the money on his question and opinion while most normal people just don't see anything. Again, if you are good enough, do something that got featured on Slashdot before writing bashing comments. Otherwise Slashdot would become better without you and your comments.

      --
      http://www.alexle.net
  3. DIY Project? by dawhippersnapper · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This might seem interesting as a DIY project, but it's a quite worthless gadget, while neat that it's possible, it shouldn't be big news.

    --
    Freedom is fragile and must be protected. To sacrifice it, even as a temporary measure, is to betray it.
    1. Re:DIY Project? by Craptastic+Weasel · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I say it's worthy of a slashdotting. Just because it's not "Man uses Nokia cell phone to cure cancer" doesn't mean a million geeks wouldn't find it interesting...

      Or am I fishing too much for the slashdot of yore...

      Anyone that wants to compose a limerick in regards to the slashdot of yore, have at it...

    2. Re:DIY Project? by andrewman327 · · Score: 2, Informative
      You must be new here.

      Considering he is #861941, he is actually is pretty new here.


      Back on topic: I really do not want to drag my cell phone back and forth across a desk. Also, if I am on a trip and end up using my computer for an extended period of time, I want something that is a bit more ergonomic. A phone is designed to be held close to the head, not horizontally and in front of you.

      --
      Information wants a fueled airplane waiting at the hangar and no one gets hurt.
    3. Re:DIY Project? by TheGhostOfDerrida · · Score: 2, Funny

      Huzzah for the slashdot of yore,
      Where ne'er was there a bore,
      but then came a dupe-
      (something that rhymes with dupe),
      and following that came some more

      --
      Paul: If you're reading this, pick your shoes up out of the hallway. I keep tripping over them. Slob.
    4. Re:DIY Project? by Ryz0r · · Score: 2, Funny
      Anyone that wants to compose a limerick in regards to the slashdot of yore, have at it...

      I once browsed the Slashdot of yore,
      The comments insightful and more;
      But now all they be,
      Are links to goatse;
      And n00bs pwning j00 with dual c0re!

      I'm so sorry.

      --
      Peace, Love, Unity, Respect
    5. Re:DIY Project? by kurzweilfreak · · Score: 2, Funny
      While browsing my work time away
      On slashdot one fine August day
      a limerick I bore
      about slashdot of yore
      lost fr1st p0st to the GNAA! :(


      Don't kill me, please. *ducks*

      --

      kurzweil_freak

      5th Kyu Genbukan Ninpo/KJJR student

      Be the darkness that allows the light to shine.

  4. battery life by Speare · · Score: 3, Informative

    Boy, and I thought my 2xAAA bluetooth optical mouse had a short battery life! The CCD sensors are only intended for bursts of a few seconds, not for continuous clicky-draggy mouse motions. They chew up a large amount of battery power to amplify extremely small amounts of incoming light signal into usable pixel values.

    --
    [ .sig file not found ]
    1. Re:battery life by tomhudson · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Not only that, but you have to hold it above your mouse pad, not in actual contact.

      "Light is needed. My temporary solution is to hold the phone about .6cm above the pad, letting light in the side. My camera picks up enough to see at this distance."

  5. Fake by tliet · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What a joker. This is as fake as it can be. The video shows Windows and then it shows him moving his phone about.

    1. Re:Fake by junglee_iitk · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I for one second that! While he is moving the windows, my guess is that he should be pressing some button (to imitate Left-Click of mouse), which he is not!

  6. His Windows vs. Linux Article.... by Khakionion · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ...is a total flame, typical of a Microsoftie who expects to jump headfirst into Slackware/Gentoo and understand everything in a week. When he doesn't, it's the fault of "the community."

    What a tool.

    --
    OMG! Wau!
    1. Re:His Windows vs. Linux Article.... by remmelt · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Have you visited the Ubuntu forums lately? Not to sound fanboi (I am), but there are so many helpful, friendly people there, it's really amazing. Sure, they expect you to at least have a google at your problem yourself, but why is that bad?

      Yes, there are people who will say you are stupid. Sometimes, they're even right. But if they aren't, you could just ignore them and listen to the 10 other people who actually provide a helpful answer.

  7. too much time on their hands by 56ker · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The combination of having to hold it 0.6cm above a surface, plus the generally poor battery life of cameraphones makes it a little impractical for normal use.

    Although kudos to them for writing the software to do this.

    --


    Video Game cheats, hints a
  8. travelling? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    "I can't wait to get one of these, it would mean one less device to carry when I'm travelling" ... between home and school.

  9. this is just what i need by lytles · · Score: 2, Interesting

    i sit at work with my cell sitting on the table next to the mouse. i mostly use the keyboard, and tend to reach to the mouse to click a button without looking at it. several times I've tried to move the mouse without the pointer moving for a few seconds, only to realize that I reached for the phone instead.

    i guess i'm not the only one.

    --
    My blog
  10. I did that already by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ..and converted my Rowenta steam iron into a mouse so I could surf
    while getting the creases out of my shirts. The phone mod didn't work
    out so good though, someone called me up and I burned half my right ear
    off.

  11. sounds cool but... by jackjeff · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This is a cool hack, but i don't think it is "that" useful to replace a "laptop mouse".

    Laptops have builtin trackpads... I assume people who use a mouse because
    1) they need a more precise + ergonomic device than the trackpad.
    2) have a shitty trackpad on their computer.

    In both cases, I wonder if my Nokia phone is really an improvement for problem 1 or 2...

    The only "useful" application is to show of in front of your friends :)

  12. Negative comments by vasanth · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I see a lot of negative comments here... what ppl fail to understand is that it is not meant to be a practical solution but a project for the sake of doing it... I enjoy working on small projects in my spare time which do not actually solve anything but just keeps me engaged and the stuff this guy done is cool from that perspective..

  13. How to please everyone by Tx · · Score: 5, Funny

    You may recall this article, about guy turning his optical mouse into an imaging device. Now here we have another guy who wants to turn his imaging device into an optical mouse. Pity they didn't just think of doing a swap, eh? ;)

    --
    Oh no... it's the future.
  14. I don't believe a word by stefanb · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This sounds like a really cool hack, but I don't believe a word of it.

    I just took a sample shot with my 6230, and at 1cm, a printed page with 12pt courier on it shows essentially no structure at all, it's all too blurred. At closer range, the body blocks too much light for the camera to aquire anything. My wooden desk and various other things also didn't give any discernible shapes. Looking at the video and the mouse pad, I doubt the camera would see anything at all.

    Even if it is possible to properly track the blobs, I doubt that you'll get high resolution from the typical phone camera. I believe typical optical mice have a resolution between 500 and 2000 dpi, and given the typical 640x480 resolution, you'd need optics to focus the camera on a rather small spot. The mice have these optics, the cameras won't (they're usually wide angle).

  15. Re:What happens when... by Moofie · · Score: 2, Informative

    Use a headset. Or the speakerphone. Not very complicated.

    --
    Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
  16. Re:Nokia by palmnet · · Score: 2, Informative

    Erm, I just got my Nokia 6220 which is an older model to his phone, and the camera on it sucks ass, but I could easily make out my keyboard letters at less than his recomended 0.6cm And even when it was really faint you could track the direction of movement quite easily, wether a java program could do that though is up for debate.

    --
    Tidy people are lazy, they cant be bothered to look for things.
  17. Why bother modding a nokia by Pop69 · · Score: 2, Informative

    My Sony Erickson K750i has this built in to it.

    Uses the joystick thingy on it to control the pointer over bluetooth.

    Why is it news that you have to use hacks on one phone to do something that is native on others ?

  18. NEW OFFER FREE by drzut · · Score: 2, Funny

    so this is my offer: ONLY 5 (Source Code included).
    http://stud3.tuwien.ac.at/~e0125565/DSCN1147.MOV

    and on top of this 11 FREE cigs are included. :))